Weakness and Strength
by kurisu313
Summary: GaLe. Set during the Oricion Seis arc. Gajeel ends up finding an upset Levy in the middle of nowhere, rain pouring down. He could just walk on by...but of course, he can't. What can they talk about?
1. Caught in the Rain

Levy sat at the bar counter, oddly quiet, staring at the glass in front of her, but not drinking. Levy, of course, was not drinking alcohol but rather a fruit juice, which earned her some ribbing every now and again. She didn't have the constitution for alcohol - a combination of being small and not practicing - and the few times she'd tried it, she'd gone bright red in a couple of sips.

Mira, cleaning glasses behind the counter, watched the small girl with some concern. It took her a while to realise the reason that she was worried was that Levy didn't have a book with her. How often was that the case? Even when Levy was upset, she often sought consolation within the narrative of some fictional land. She was about to check on her when Cana strode up with her confident swagger and a big grin over her face. She'd been out on a small quest and gotten a nice little sum.

"Mira, get me a drink over here!" She called, sitting down next to Levy who didn't appear to notice her.

"What are you having?" Mira asked in her pleasant demeanour.

"Who cares, but bring it by the keg!" Mira acquiesced to the woman's request, pouring her a frothy pint of ale, and leaving the keg next to her. She knocked back the golden liquid and poured herself another. Only at that point did she notice the quiet girl next to her.

"Ah Levy! What say we get you a grown-up's drink!" She waved the mug in front of Levy, but she went red just from the fumes and waved Cana away wordlessly. The lack of words penetrated Cana's happy mood. "Something wrong?"

"N…no, it's nothing," she replied feebly, not looking up. Cana sighed and then elbowed the small girl in the ribs sharply. Levy squealed. "Okay…I was just worrying about Lu-chan, that's all."

"Oh? She's out on this Oricion Seis mission, right?" Cana asked, pouring herself her third mug.

"Yeah. I was just thinking that they're really scary mages…I'm worried that she'll be hurt." _Or worse._

"Don't worry about it too much. She's shown herself to be pretty tough. Hell, she beat Bixlow just last week!" Already on her fourth drink, Cana grinned wildly. "We're Fairy Tail Mages, Levy! No one is bigger or stronger than us!"

* * *

Later that day, Levy was out walking to the bookstore. If she was worried, then maybe buying a nice, big book would make her feel better.

"_We're Fairy Tail Mages, Levy! No one is bigger or stronger than us!"_

Bigger and stronger.

Big. Strong.

Levy frowned. Which of those words described her? She was a Fairy Tail mage, but in what way was she big or strong? In fact, she was fairly sure that she was the littlest person in existence. Makarov was shorter, but only due to his magic, Titan. A few years ago, Levy had made a notch on her bedroom door frame, exactly five feet off of the ground. However, no matter how much time passed, she'd never quite reached it. And then she'd just stopped growing. Eventually, she'd sanded the frame rather than keep looking at it.

Four foot ten. Who on Earth was that short? She couldn't remember hearing of any other person who never reached five feet. She wasn't big, she was small. The double entendre made her hands fly to cover her chest. People in the busy street looked at her funny as she made the sudden movement. Red-faced, she scurried on.

She kept becoming lost in her thoughts. Strong. Was she strong? She recognized herself as useful. Her abilities with written magic were invaluable. She'd proven that against Fried's barrier…then waited in the guild while every other member was lying injured around Magnolia. She was the only person in the entire guild not to fight in the battle of Fairy Tail.

And no one had said a word to her about it.

After all, why would a weakling fight?

She stopped walking and balled her fists. In the rebuilding, Laxus had mocked her for being weak, not even knowing her name. And when he'd instigated his war, how had she disproven him? She stood there, glowering with frustration.

This is what bothered her deeply. Not that Lu-chan was in danger, but that she wasn't even considered to go in her stead. Levy had been in the guild for six years. Lu-chan for what, four months? She wasn't angry at Lucy, she was angry at herself.

At that moment, the heavens opened, and torrential rain began to pour down. Levy stood there, unmoving in the deluge, tears mixing with the raindrops.

* * *

"Motherfucking weather!" Gajeel shouted as the rain began. He ran quickly. He'd just gotten back from a mission and had intended to return to the guild, but screw that, his house was much closer. The streets had emptied quickly under the rain, except for morons with umbrellas.

Visibilty was pretty shitty, and he almost ran straight into Levy in the middle of a street, just standing there like some kinda idiot. He jumped back in surprise, but thankfully, she didn't even look up to notice.

"Oi, Shrimp. Don't just stand in the middle of the road!" He scolded, annoyed. She glared up at him, seemingly noticing him for the first time. She didn't speak, but trudged around him silently. That pissed him off. "Hey, I was talking to ya!"

She kept walking, and even Gajeel's emotionally retarded brain kicked in. In the rain, he couldn't see her tears, but her face was red and puffy. He grabbed her arm, stopping her. She didn't turn back.

"What's wrong?" He asked, none too politely. He was wet, why was he wasting his time with her…well, he did owe her one for breaking Fried's barrier…well, maybe more than one, if he was to tally all of his past actions.

"It's not something you would understand," she said in a voice choked with sadness.

"Ah? Time of the month is it?" He asked carelessly. She turned on him, eyes glowing with anger.

"You really are a giant idiot aren't you? Can't you even talk politely?"

"Hey, I'm tryin' ta ask if yer ok!" He admonished. Why was she angry? He was the one going out of his way to help her. To his absolute amazement, she balled her right hand into a fist and swung at him. There was a dull thud as her fist slammed into his chest.

A moment passed.

Levy recoiled, grabbing at her injured hand. "Itatatatata!" She emoted in pain. Gajeel couldn't help it and broke out laughing. She glared at him.

"It's not funny!" She screeched.

"Pffft…ya call that a punch, shorty?"

"Don't call me shorty! I told you that you couldn't understand! You're not weak!" She screamed the words at him, her face red with anger. Gajeel was not the brightest man in the universe and the words confused him.

"What does being weak have to do with anything?"

Levy turned and stalked away, face screwing up with tears.

Well screw this, he was wet. He was going home. Whatever her problems were, they weren't his problems.

Right?

…god damn it.

Gajeel went after her, and unceremoniously lifted her by her scruff. She blinked in surprise and began to kick out, protesting at the embarrassing treatment. Gajeel ignored her, and carried her the short distance to his house.

* * *

As the door clicked shut, Levy shouted at him again. "What are you doing? I said to put me down!" He did so, dropping her on her ass with a muffled squeak. He went over to his fireplace, piling on a few logs. Levy watched with interest as he turned a hand to iron and clicked his fingers, making a spark to ignite the firewood. He pulled over a huge rug he had, made from the pelt of a bear he'd killed himself.

He smiled in memory. That had been good eating.

He went back over to Levy, still on her ass, and picked her up again, dumping her on the rug in front of the fire. She pouted as he disappeared into another room. She understood that he was trying to do a nice thing, but what a way he had!

Gajeel was sorting through a huge pile of linen. Surely he had a clean towel somewhere? Dammit, he needed someone to live with him, keep him in better check. He wondered if Salamander's cat helped him out. He wouldn't mind a cat. He'd spent quite a while living in alleyways and scrap yards – he was used to cats.

Finally, he found something suitable and took it back out to Levy, dropping the towel over her unawares. She thrashed under it, finally extricating herself. She looked at him and he shrugged, grinning. He didn't know why, but teasing her was such fun. He dropped a second piece of cloth next to her. She looked at it – it was a black t-shirt.

"Change outta yer clothes. Yer wet through," Gajeel said. Levy went bright red.

"I'm not…"

Gajeel interrupted. "Jeez woman, I'm gonna go into my room and change too. No one's gonna peep. Not like ya got any breasts anyway." She flushed angrily. _Damn, why'd he add that last thought? _Still, he went into his room, drying his hair and changing his clothes. Something simple, t-shirt and slacks, since he had no plans to go back out today.

As Levy removed her sodden clothes and dried herself, she looked around at Gajeel's house. It was a small, one story place. The living room in which she now stood was fairly expansive, with some beaten furniture and a dark wooden floor. There was litter everywhere, particularly unwashed clothes and scrap iron. She'd need a tetanus jab, she thought wryly.

When Gajeel went back into his living room, he saw Levy standing by the fireplace in his t-shirt. It hung off of her tiny frame like a tent, easily reaching down to her thighs. She was still towelling her hair, her head band gone. She was adorable…

Gajeel shook himself. Of course she was cute, she was always cute. Don't think so hard, cuteness is just inevitable for something so small and…he shook off his train of thoughts again. Levy went red again under his gaze. She did that a lot.

"Ya do that a lot," he noted, immediately voicing his thoughts. She looked puzzled. "Blush, I mean." Inevitably, Levy's blush went deeper, hands flying to cover her cheeks.

"Idiot!" She shouted. "Why can't you make simple, polite conversation?"

"Fine," he said. "Ya aren't going anywhere for a while. We should talk." As if to underline his point lightning flashed. It was followed by the rumble of thunder, joining the cacophony of the falling rain. Levy flinched little. She didn't like lightning.

"What can we talk about?" She asked, half curious, half furious. Gajeel walked past her and into the kitchen. She followed him with her eyes, and could hear a fizz followed by the sound of a pouring liquid. When he came back, he was carrying two mugs full of beer. He dragged his worn table over to the fireside rug and sat down cross-legged, placing the mugs on the table.

He looked up at her. "Well, ya may be enjoying the only time I'm gonna look _up _at ya, but sit down."

She sat down on the other end of the rug facing him. She briefly panicked that she was on display, but no, his t-shirt covered her well enough. She looked over at the mug nearest her. Maybe now was a good time to kill her emotions, she thought. She grabbed the mug and held it under her face. Immediately, she went bright red and Gajeel snickered.

"Shut up!" She said feebly. "I'm not good with alcohol!"

"Psssh….I don't think I've got anything weaker!"

"You've got me," she said glumly. Gajeel frowned, trying to follow her train of thought.

"That's twice ya've said that now." He looked her square in the eye. "Why do ya think yer weak?"

Her eyes became dangerous, her voice low. "You of all people should know."

Gajeel sighed deeply, looking away from her. If there was one thing in the universe that he didn't want to talk about, this was it. "Fine. Fine! I asked fer this. I guess this is what we'll talk about first."

Outside, the rain continued to drive down, and thunder cracked.

* * *

**Well, I hope this interests a few people. This is essentially a chance to rewind to a gruffer, less diplomatic Gajeel than the one I normally talk about. This will be a short series, of the two having a series of conversations. No grand plans, I'm afraid!**


	2. Different Types of Strength

Gajeel tried to drag up something to say about that night. But every thought that came to mind was supplanted by another, crowding the passageway between his brain and his mouth. In the end, he said nothing, staring into space. An apology died half formed. He felt his lips purse together tighter and tighter. It was if his body rebelled against the thoughts, refusing to allow him to speak about it. It was a blotch even for him, something that he tried to repress.

When Makarov had come to give him his new life, it had touched him deeply, but in the end, he felt the same. Isolated. He didn't consider his past as anything special. But after the war with Laxus, he had felt the bonds of his guild more strongly. He began to look upon his past as a black and white memory, missing colour.

Mostly, he let it go. He wasn't an introspective individual. But there were a few moments that haunted him, and this was one. He looked at the girl he'd done it to. She utterly didn't deserve it. It was amazing to him that he could have done that violent action now.

Finally, Levy spoke into the silence.

"Why me?" She asked quietly, feeling that the question was pathetic. "It was because I – we were weak, isn't it?"

Gajeel sighed deeply, taking a swig from his mug, feeling like he needed the extra courage. But the specificity of the question allowed him to answer.

"No," he said honestly. "I didn't know who ya were, beyond that ya were Fairy Tail mages. Apart from yer S-class and Salamander, I didn't know anyone's name in the guild. Ya were just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Oh." The word seemed loud in the silence. Levy wasn't sure if it made her feel better or worse. She wasn't singled out for her flaws, but being unlucky felt bad in its own way.

"But," he said slowly, "to a degree, it was because ya are small. I wanted to send a message. So when I saw ya, I thought 'this'll make me look like I mean business'."

She looked at him sadly. The pain in his voice was great. He barked a laugh.

"Yeah, real fucking badass, right? Picking on small girls, that's what badasses do!"

"I…it's in the past now," Levy said quietly. Gajeel glared at her briefly, her head lowered shyly.

"How on earth do ya think yer weak?" He growled.

Puzzled, Levy asked "what do you mean?"

"I've never seen someone so strong!" Gajeel laughed that distinctive laugh, and took another swig.

"I'm not…"

"Shaddup and listen." Gajeel stared at her, his gaze boring into her eyes, locking her in place. "Ya might be good with words, but I'm not. Let me say this in my own time."

Levy shifted uncomfortably, but was silent.

"Before I joined Fairy Tail, only one thing mattered to me. Strength." He leaned back, looking at the ceiling. "It was all I cared about. It was why I was the strongest in my guild. I only listened to Jose. He was one of the ten wizard saints! Who else was worth listening to?"

"Master Makarov…" Levy started, but Gajeel glanced at her and she shut up abruptly.

"I attacked yer guild because I thought it was weak. We were strong, ya were weak. Why wouldn't we crush ya?"

"Well…"

"What part of shaddup and listen didn't ya get?"

"At least be polite!" Levy snapped back, but she talked no more.

"But then…my strength failed me." He was staring into his tankard, as if the solution was at the bottom. "The barrier yer green-haired pretty boy…"

"Fried." Stare.

"…yer green-haired pretty boy set up completely stopped me. I couldn't touch it at all." Levy heard an odd noise, and realised that Gajeel was gripping the tankard so hard that it was deforming slightly. "But ya…ya undid it in minutes." He looked at her directly. "It was the first time I saw strength other than physical."

"I know that I'm good with written magic," Levy said. "But it doesn't make me strong."

"Actually I'm wrong. It was the first time that I _realized_ that I'd seen a kind of strength. In reality, I'd seen another kind of strength before, but hadn't paid attention." Levy leaned in slightly, curious. His voice was quiet, solemn. "It was when you forgave me."

To his surprise, Levy didn't react shyly; she beamed a full power smile, as if reacting to his own coyness. "Everyone deserves a second chance. I believed that if Makarov saw some good in you, it must be there!"

For the briefest moment, it looked like Gajeel might cry, before that trademark scowl came down again. "But I never said sorry."

"Oh, but you don't have…"

"I'm sorry." He blurted it out quickly as if he had to do it swiftly or not at all. He calmed himself, returning to a normal tone. "I'm sorry. It's not something that I can make up fer…but I really mean it. When I look at ya now…I have no idea how I could have…" His voice trailed off. He suddenly slammed his stein on the table, making Levy jump. "Dammit! Why is it so hard!?"

"I understand. You said it yourself; strength matters to you. You see apologising as a form of weakness, so you hate it." Gajeel glared at her. How the fuck had she figured out that much that quickly? She was a bright one alright. "But it's not; it means that you're getting stronger, shedding an old weakness."

Gajeel laughed loudly. "How can ya say all that and think that yer weak? Ya've got iron deep down in ya somewhere, Gihi!" Both of them flushed suddenly as they realized the unintended double entendre in those words. Gajeel took a swig to cover the moment. Levy took the tiniest sip herself. Oh sweet merciful Mavis, it was like fire! She spluttered into her drink. Gajeel cackled.

Frustrated, she placed the drink on the table and stood, spreading her arms wide. "Ignore my brains for a moment. Tell me that this is strong! Describe this body – go on!"

Gajeel stared at her, his t-shirt spreading almost like bat wings from her outstretched arms. Describe her body?

_Sexy. _

Where the fuck had that come from? Try harder, brain!

_Ok – Cute, adorable, sweet, lovely…I'm done. Read a thesaurus sometime!_

Goddamn useless brain…wait, why am I even thinking these words? I'm not attracted to the Shrimp! Oh fuck, she's still waiting for an answer! Say something. Short? No, you insensitive dolt, something nice! Small? How is that nice?! Pocket-sized? Thin? Tiny?

"See?" Levy said defiantly over the silence. "I know those words. Small, fragile, weak. You've even said yourself that my punch was pathetic!" _And that I was flat…_

Gajeel wasn't sure how to deal with the emotional problems the Shrimp had from her body shape, but she had inadvertently given him a practical problem to deal with. He stood, rising to his full height. Levy's expression flickered as the fifteen inch gap became obvious again.

"Show me that punch again." He held out a palm. "Hit me." Levy wasn't sure where he was going with this, but complied, driving her tiny fist into his oversized hand. For a brief moment she panicked that he was going to crush her hand, but Gajeel let her go and walked around her, studying her.

"Yer form sucks. Yer right handed, right?" She nodded. "Okay, stand with yer left leg forwards. Now raise yer left hand vertically. Like that. Now, when you punch, step forward with yer right leg, and pivot on yer hips."

Levy was caught up in the change in discussion. "Like this?"

"No, no." Gajeel put his hands on her arms, moving her posture slightly. Unseen by him, she flushed again at his touch. He was so close to her! Gajeel stood next to her, adopting his own stance. "See? Then you swing like this!" His last word was followed by a blindingly fast step-in, and his fist made a whistling noise as it cut the air.

Levy tried to mimic him, making a tiny noise with her own fist. It was about the most adorable thing Gajeel had ever seen.

"Ya see? Much better!"

Levy frowned. "I'm still weak. This is meaningless."

Gajeel's patience wore thin. "Yer five foot nothing and eight stone, how strong do ya expect to be?" Actually, she was four foot ten and seven and a half stone, but Levy chose not to correct him. Before she could retort, she went very quiet as Gajeel clapped his hands on her shoulders. "I mean, yer shoulders are half the width of mine!" Again, overly generous, but Levy was a bit lost under his physical contact.

To her surprise, he didn't withdraw. Instead, with a complete lack of awareness of personal space he began patting her sides, kneeling down.

"What are you doing?" She cried.

"Calm down shorty, I'm just checking yer muscle shape." He continued down, touching her thighs and calves while Levy thought she might explode. This was too much! At last, Gajeel stopped, rising again. "Now, ya feel like yer well put together. Once ya reach yer full height and fill out a bit, ya'll be plenty strong!"

Levy was trembling with some intense cocktail of emotions. "H…how old do you think I am?"

Gajeel frowned at the question. In truth, his own words had surprised him. He'd always thought of Levy as an adult, as she carried herself with a mature air (though bound up in an adorable package). But as he looked at her now, he panicked. Shit, was she far too young for him? At that size, she was what, fourteen? He added one to inflate the suggestion.

"Um…fifteen, right?" There was an almost audible sound as something in Levy's brain snapped. Gajeel quailed as her face fell into a scowl that would have made Satan proud. "Sixteen?"

"I'm seventeen!" She shouted, driving her new-found punch right into Gajeel's chest with a resounding clap. Again, a moment passed and Levy recoiled, nursing her hand. She hopped from foot to foot. "Learning that just made me hurt myself more!"

"Hmm…so yer as big as yer gonna get?" Gajeel ignored the emotional problem again for the physical one.

"Yes!" She rubbed her bruised knuckles. "This is all I'm ever going to be! A little, weak girl!" She spat the words.

Gajeel shrugged. "Okay. But not all strong mages are strong-bodied. Take that damn Rain Woman. She's no boxer, but she's really strong! Ya'll have to focus on yer magic and yer smarts."

"I already knew that!" Levy shouted.

"Ah? So what are ya doing about it?"

Levy blinked. "Um…well, I'm learning new words…"

"Oh? Show me one!"

"On you?"

"Gihi, go on, I owe you a free hit!"

Now Levy felt pissed. He wasn't even considering her a threat at all. "Solid Script: Storm!" The word pushed forward into Gajeel's exposed chest, his arms wide. His face set, and his legs strained briefly, but the wind spell didn't so much as push him back an atom's width. However, it ripped through his t-shirt and left a mark on his skin.

"Ah…" Levy snapped to. It wasn't like her to do something like that. "I…I'm sorry."

Gajeel laughed and ripped the damaged clothing from him. Levy looked at his exposed torso. She suddenly felt very self conscious, and her hands went to cover her chest. It wasn't fair! She was so tiny in every meaning of the word, but he was…perfectly sculpted.

_Wait, what? Why had she thought that?_

"Don't worry midget, it's a black t-shirt – I've got hundreds!" He looked at her, noticing what she was doing with her hands. He smiled, but chose not to call attention to it. He went over to a pile of unwashed laundry and plucked another black t-shirt. This one had the logo of one of Gajeel's favourite bands – Frankenstein Joe.

"Don't wreck this one, yeah? I'm fond of this one!" He pulled it on as Levy watched his muscular back flex.

"I meant sorry for hurting you!"

"Ah? It didn't hurt much."

"You see!" Levy was angry again. "Even without any defence, that barely hurt you! I'm a weakling!"

Gajeel's patience finally snapped. "Then get stronger!" Levy flinched. "Stop complaining and get stronger. I'm not here to coddle ya and pretend that yer really strong! Get stronger, and I'll fight ya anytime, see how far ya've come!"

Levy wasn't quite sure if he was berating her or encouraging her. For Gajeel, maybe the two were very similar?

"Also," he went on more quietly, "don't judge yerself against me. I'm really strong!" A cocky smile spread across his face. Levy surprised herself as she smiled in response. Gajeel was like Natsu – not a person she compared herself to in terms of strength.

"Alright! I accept. But if I ask for a spar, you have to say yes!"

"Gihi! Any time, Shrimp!"

At last, seemingly out of words to say on the subject, they sat back down. Gajeel realised that he'd almost finished his pint. He went to refill it and came back, annoyed that he'd had to get up again. Levy took another sip of hers and grimaced as she desperately tried to keep it down this time. She felt the warmth spread to her cheeks and hoped she hadn't gone tomato red. Judging by his grin, maybe she had.

"Alright Shrimp, I can't say we've fixed yer issue, but is there a more…happy topic ya'd like to cover?"

Levy looked around his living room.

"Actually, there is…"

* * *

**If anyone gets the Frankenstein Joe reference, I will be very happy!**

**Please know that I read every review, and am very grateful for each and every one! I have a few topics lined up, but if anyone has a topic they'd like Gajeel and Levy to riff on, please do let me know!**


	3. Housekeeping

"Alright Shrimp, I can't say we've fixed yer issue, but is there a more…happy topic ya'd like to cover?"

Levy looked around his living room.

"Actually, there is…why is your place such a pig sty?"

Gajeel was taken aback by the ninety degree turn in the conversation. "My place ain't dirty."

Levy stood and wandered over to a pile of scrap iron. "Then why is this here?"

"It's…where I keep my iron," he replied feebly. Levy's eyes were half-lidded with humour. She took a single step to her left.

"Then what is this pile of iron for?"

"That's…my back-up pile…" he said with no conviction.

"And that one? And that one? And that one?" Levy gestured around the room as she spoke, voice completely deadpan.

"Alright, so it's a little messy. I'm a guy. It's how we live."

Levy wandered into the kitchen. She spoke loudly through the doorway. "Let's see, freezer: empty. Fridge: empty save for one carton of milk…oh sweet merciful…this is yoghurt! It expired two weeks ago!" She dropped it into the bin. It almost bounced out, with how full it was. "Jeez, empty your bin once in a while! Why are your fridge and freezer empty but your bin full?"

She began opening cupboards. "You're a real chef. That's a lot of instant noodles."

"I eat out a lot." Wait a minute! Where did this confidence come from, the cheeky little runt!

"Ooh, curry flavoured ramen! Do you mind, I'm hungry." It wasn't really a question, and she pulled it out without waiting for an answer and filled Gajeel's kettle. "You want one?"

Why the hell was she offering him his own food? "Jeez, get me a curry one as well!" He chided. She smiled that beautiful smile of hers and pulled out another one. "Little midget, taking the best flavour…"

Levy frowned, sifting through them, trying to ignore that he felt it necessary to append the adjective 'little' to the word 'midget'. "Gajeel, they're all curry!"

He looked to the side. "Well, if one's better than the others what's the point in buying others?"

"Variety is the spice of life!" Levy quipped back. "Don't you get bored?"

"Shaddup. I eat out a lot," he repeated. Levy smiled and waited for the kettle. She plonked the two steaming cups of noodles on the table and went back to look for cutlery. Opening a draw, she found an unopened packet of disposable chopsticks and brought two pairs onto the front room.

"Ah no, I can't use those things. I need a fork."

Levy frowned. "Then why do you have them?"

"Jeez, I dunno. I think they gave them away with something. They're like five jewels!"

"Wait, you can't use chopsticks?" Levy giggled at his expression. She'd never seen Gajeel look cute before.

"Shaddup! I just never learned is all!"

"Okay, I'll teach you!" She replied with that sunny demeanour of hers. Gajeel didn't know what to do. He hated showing any form of weakness – perhaps even more so due to the mundane nature of it. It was silly.

"Okay, first you grab them at the bottom and pull them apart," Levy said, snapping hers apart flawlessly. Gajeel watched her and tried to copy her, breaking his own well enough. "See? Not too tricky. Then you gotta do this to get rid of the splinters." She rubbed the chopsticks together, smoothing them out.

"Pussy. I eat iron, a few splinters ain't gonna hurt, Gihi!"

"Can you eat wood?"

"Um…no…"

"Then do it." Gajeel grumbled but complied. "Okay, the trick is to keep one chopstick still and you use the other one as your grabbing one. Um…I said that badly. Look, put them both in the crook between your thumb and your hand. Hold one with your thumb and forefinger…yes, that's it…and the other with your next two fingers."

Gajeel watched carefully, trying to get it. As he did so, Levy shuffled over to be closer to him, so that they were side by side, in front of the table and the steaming noodles. Gajeel felt a little weird despite that he'd literally just put his own hands on her. It seemed odd, her violating his space. Stop being a pussy, he shouted inwardly.

Levy gingerly picked up her noodles, checking they weren't too hot. Then she expertly began slurping them quickly. She was hungrier than she'd realized. Gajeel watched her, badly picking up some noodles, slipping off the chopstick. Gajeel glowered and tried again and again.

Levy giggled. "Try being more gentle. Power isn't always the answer!"

"I know that, shorty! I'm not some moron like Salamander!" Still, he followed her advice and had more success.

"Now just keep practicing, and you'll eventually be a pro!" She smiled.

"It's bloody hard!"

"Don't complain. Get stronger," Levy deadpanned, throwing his own advice back in his face. He couldn't help but smile inwardly. But outwardly…

"What was that, midget? I can't hear ya down there; ya'll have ta speak up!" Levy flushed angrily.

"We're sitting down!"

"And yer still at shoulder height!"

"I'm helping you here, you rude idiot!"

"And I'm very grateful, ya tiny dwarf," he said condescendingly, resting an elbow on top of her head.

"Stop adding adjectives that mean small to nouns that mean small!" She shouted, hands trying to push his arm away.

"I have no idea what ya just said."

"Stop adding words like 'little' to names that mean 'little'!" She finally managed to dislodge him. Gajeel cackled and returned to eating. Levy pouted, but did the same, and they finished eating in silence. Levy took the waste to the bin since she doubted Gajeel would. When she came back, she went over to one of the many piles of iron.

"Why don't you just keep it all in one pile?" She asked.

"Too much hassle," he replied dismissively. Levy sighed.

"Then I'll do it for you," she said, picking up a piece of iron, like an enormous cog. Holy crap it was heavy! She grunted as she raised it to her chest, trying to balance the weight.

"Problems, Shrimp?" Damn, but he sounded amused.

"I…I'm fine!" She replied breathlessly. She took a step backwards from the pile and instantly fell over. This is gonna hurt she thought, as the cog would be on top of her when she landed back first onto the floor. She closed her eyes, but the pain never came. She opened them. Gajeel was over her, holding the cog, plus her weight in one hand.

How had he moved so fast?

How could he bear this much on one arm?

"Little tiny midgets should be more careful," he said, smiling at his own wit. Two adjectives she thought, frowning. She squeaked as she lost her grip on the cog and landed on her ass. Gajeel laughed and began eating the cog. That asshole. She watched in amazement as the huge piece of machinery disappeared piece by piece down his gullet.

He belched.

"Hey! Try to have more manners!"

Gajeel's eyes became sarcastic and there was a farting noise.

"You really need to be more cleanly in general! That includes bodily functions and general housekeeping!" Levy chastised him as she got back on her feet.

"Oh? I suppose your place is all clean and tidy?" Levy froze. "Probably immaculate, books on their shelves and stuff?"

"Yes…," she replied uncertainly. "…as long as you ask no one else about it, my room is spotless. All the books are on shelves." Thankfully for Levy, Gajeel didn't pick up on her tone. Levy was a poor liar.

She looked around. "How do you even find clean clothes?"

"Meh, I wash stuff when I have to."

"You wash?" She asked incredulously.

"Well…there's a launderette down the road…"

Levy frowned and went into the kitchen again. "Gajeel, there's a washing machine and dryer right here!"

"Came with the house," he shrugged.

"Wait! Why am I drying MY clothes over the fireplace if you have a dryer?"

He shrugged again. "Dunno how to use it." Levy stomped back into the living room, grabbing her clothes from the mantle and bundling them under one arm after she reapplied her hair band, which had dried quickly. She then grabbed Gajeel's hand and pulled. He didn't move an inch and she pulled harder. He didn't move.

"Come on!" She shouted. Grinning, Gajeel finally relented, getting up. She dragged him to the dryer. Clothes in, turn dial to an hour, switch on. "Was that so difficult!?"

"Hmm….thanks! Wanna work as a maid?" He teased.

"Just say thanks!" She said angrily. "Just be polite for one sentence!"

"Okay, thanks!" Gajeel smiled, knowing that the politeness would wrong-foot her more than being rude.

"Now, let me show you how to use your washing machine." She glanced around. "Damn, I don't suppose you have detergent. But for a learning experience, let's do a simple wash." She went and grabbed some of his dirty clothes and showed him how to operate it. "Think of all the money you'll save from the launderette!"

"Thanks, midget!" He grinned at her, and she felt her own smile grow in response. Was she blushing? Why would she be…she looked away and went back into the living room, returning to the warmth of the fireplace. She could still hear the rain thundering down. Gajeel rejoined her, and she took another sip of her drink. Keep it down Levy, she thought.

"Not too shabby, Shrimp! We'll make you into a drinker!"

"No…this is too much for me…," she said shyly. The beer tasted like shit to Levy, but it was here, and she would prove to Gajeel that she could finish it, even if it took the full cycle…oh crap, she'd put it on for an hour! She'd be here for at least that long!

She shook her head. "What do you want to talk about?" She asked.

"Hmm…your topic wasn't so much a discussion as a tutorial!" He leant back. "Hmm, there's something I wanna ask…"

Levy panicked as she waited for the question. She squealed as lightning and thunder flashed directly overhead, deafeningly loud. Jeez, did it just wait for moments like this?

"What I wanna know is…"


	4. Shadow Gear

"What I wanna know is," Gajeel said, "Is about yer team!"

Levy's hand flew to her mouth. "My team?"

"So, which one are ya dating?" He asked carelessly, taking a swig. He smiled as Levy went red again. She really did that a lot.

"I'm not…"

"Oh, both at once, is it?" He teased. "Didn't know ya had it in ya!"

"N…no!" She said forcefully. "They're like my brothers! I would never date them!"

"Oh? Have they asked ya out?"

"Um…yes…"

"And how did that go?"

"I turned them down, of course!"

"Because they're like yer brothers?"

"Yes!"

"Who both asked ya out?"

"…yes…"

"Do brothers ask their sisters out?"

"Just shut up!" She shouted, balling her fists. She flushed angrily and took another sip from her drink, barely noticing it in her anger. It was a sore point. Why had those two complicated things like that?

"I mean, talk about being friend-zoned! Ouch. That's gotta hurt!"

"We're on a team! It's complicated to have inter-team relationships!"

"Complicated? So, not wrong, then?"

Levy was agape. Since when had this Neanderthal been able to pick up on the subtleties of spoken language?

"Wow, yer a real fucking cock tease, ain'tcha!" Gajeel laughed.

"No I'm not!" Levy replied indignantly. He was clearly just teasing, but it rankled. Calling her…that…was just about the meanest thing anyone had ever said to Levy. She was tearing up. No! Not in front of him! He would never let it down! Gajeel's eyes widened, and he panicked. No, don't cry! I have no idea what to do with a crying girl! I was just joking! _Out loud, moron, out loud!_

"Hey! I was just joking! Don't cry!" He yelled, far louder and more angrily than was appropriate.

"Don't shout at me!" She squealed, eyes watering more.

"Ah, no! No, I didn't mean to shout! Please stop crying!"

"I'm not a …tease!" She shouted, failing to say _that _word. "They're my best friends! I want both of them to always be my best friends! They helped make me stronger!"

Gajeel blinked. What? "What do ya mean?"

"Ah!" Levy hadn't meant to say that much.

"Come on! Ya can't complain for ten minutes about being weak and then clam up when ya mention something that made ya stronger!"

"Um…well…it's in the past now," she said, realising the redundant nature of the statement. Everything was in the past, wasn't it? But Gajeel nodded sagely.

"Right. I understand, I hate talking about the past." Levy looked down, recognizing the pain in those words, even though he hadn't shown any in his tone. Gajeel's past was not a happy place, filled with love. Unlike hers.

Levy spoke. "Um…I don't really know how to say this…when I was little…I was really shy and quiet. I wasn't really any good at talking to people." Gajeel found that a little hard to believe. She had few confidence issues, but whenever he'd seen her at the guild she was like the fucking energiser bunny.

"What I mostly did was read. Books were easy. They give you all of the adventures, all of the emotions, with none of the problems. People are difficult. You can say something nice and they might take it the wrong way. People can hurt you even though you don't deserve it."e He t

Gajeel looked at her funny, but she was looking down, not noticing. Based upon her inflective tone, he didn't think that she was talking about what he had done, but something older.

"Erza was always nice, but trying to keep up with her was impossible. She's not a normal human."

_Too fucking right_, Gajeel thought.

"But everyone else just seemed so scary. I was always the weakest of the girls…Cana would always cheat at games because she knew I'd never say anything. I don't think Laxus even knew that I existed, the number of times he knocked me over without looking back."

_Sounds like that asshole alright!_

"Um…then Jet asked me to join their team. Do you know what Droy said in response?"

"Uh, welcome aboard?" Gajeel said, taking a stab in the dark.

"He said, 'but Levy's so weak'."

Gajeel spluttered into his drink. It was hard to comprehend Tweedledee or Tweedledum saying anything bad about the Shrimp.

Levy laughed bitterly. "Right? Even the team that wanted me said that! Hell, they asked me because they knew everyone else was strong enough to not need a team!"

"Shrimp, are we getting to the happy part soon?"

"Um, sorry. Jeez…I've been telling it like some kind of epic with a long run up and then a big happy ending, but it wasn't like that. They became my friends, looked out for me every day. The next time Laxus knocked me over, they fought him on the spot. He beat them up of course." She smiled fondly at the memory. "Life seemed easier with friends to fall back on, y'know?"

"Not really," Gajeel admitted. He didn't really have friends. Levy didn't seem to notice his response.

"It was just the little things. Taking a team name. Having someone to watch your back. It made me happier, more confident, just knowing that they were there. I always feel a little worse if I'm away from them for a long time."

Gajeel laughed suddenly and Levy looked up. "I'm no smarty, but ain't this the difference between us? Ya had a lot of friends who bore you up and made ya strong on the inside."

Levy smiled thinly. "And you?"

Gajeel's face fell. "When I was five my parents died."

"Ah, I didn't mean to…" Levy was also an orphan, like most Fairy Tail mages. She had no desire to make anyone talk about such a thing.

"No, I don't remember it at all; it's what Metalicana told me. He was the only person in my world from then on." Gajeel clenched a fist. "He forged for me a body of iron. He raised me, and I loved him for it. He was my dad in every respect that mattered."

Levy smiled.

"Then he fucking up and left me."

Levy quailed at the repressed anger in Gajeel's voice.

"I was alone every day from then on. I couldn't read or write. I had no friends. No human would talk to a fucking orphan boy with dirty clothes. What did those fuckers expect? I was fucking homeless!"

"T…that's awful…"

"Like I said, it's the difference between us. Yer strong on the inside because of yer friends. I never had that, so I had to become strong on the outside, to take on the whole word and every fucker who stood in my way!" As he finished, he realised that he was shouting. "Ah, I'm sorry…I didn't mean to…"

"No…it's okay," Levy said sadly.

"Jeez. I said I didn't like talking about the past and then I say that much." He made a noise of annoyance. He looked over at Shrimp. She was shaking. Gajeel mentally kicked himself. He was alone with this girl and shouting loudly, of course she'd be scared! His hands had wrought her much damage, brought her so much pain. He closed his eyes and forced himself to calm down.

"Levy." She looked shocked at the use of her real name. Gajeel was looking to the side, unable to look at her directly. "I don't wanna sound like I'm getting soft, but don't think that I'm gonna hurt ya."

Levy felt a little bad. She knew that he was changing, but couldn't help the fear.

"I don't ever wanna be that person again. I…I don't want to hurt people who don't deserve it."

"Then let us be your family!" Gajeel looked at her as she shouted the words, her eyes blazing with passion. "Let Fairy Tail in to your heart! We'll make you strong on the inside too!" Levy suddenly flushed. In her excitement she'd gotten up from her haunches on to her hands and knees and was now only inches from Gajeel's face.

Gajeel put a finger onto her forehead and pushed her back on her ass. "I ain't asking for no sappy sissy stuff, alright?"

Levy smiled, understanding the gruff nature that he used to shield himself.

"One more thing about yer team," he went on.

"Oh?" Levy was curious now.

"Whose idea was that stupid name?"

"What?" Her shocked face was so goddamn adorable.

"Shadow Gear. It sounds cool, but what the hell does it mean?"

"It was my idea!" Levy pouted. "I'm good with English words, and I thought it sounded cool."

"Oh? So yer the sorta person who's bad at picking names?" Gajeel taunted.

"No I'm not!"

"Okay, ya just got a puppy – say it's a boy Alsatian. What d'ya call it?"

Levy thought, finger to lips. "Um…Mr Truffles."

"I said an Alsatian, not a Poodle!" Levy puffed out her cheeks and Gajeel went on. "Okay, a girl kitten, white, long hair."

"Uhhh…Mrs Whiskers!"

"Oh my god, woman! You're awful at this!"

"Well, what would you call them?" She retorted.

"An Alsatian is a Killer, or an Assassin. Before ya say I'm just a brute, the cat should be a Princess. Something regal! Jeez, yer more cutesy than they are!"

"I'm not cute!" She shouted, her cheeks still puffed up. Gajeel cracked up.

"Pffft…Bwahahahahahahahaha!" He bellowed, rolling on the ground while Levy went redder. "Yer so cute that cats go 'awwww' when they see ya!"

Levy slammed a hand on the table, dragging his attention back to her.

"If you're quite done, there's something I wanna talk about now!"


	5. Shut Up

"What's that, midget? Ya've got something to talk about?" Gajeel asked, taking a swig.

"Well," she said, her face becoming mischievous, "I want to know if you read at all."

"Of course ya do," he said, rolling his eyes. A few moments passed and Levy raised her eyebrows.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"I asked you if you read."

"Oh yeah, so ya did."

"Gajeel…you can read, can't you?" She asked nervously, afraid of upsetting him.

"Yes I can read, ya short midget!" Yep, she'd definitely touched a nerve.

"So, what do you read?"

"I don't 'read' anything!" He scolded. "Reading is a chore, not a hobby!"

It was like he just hit Levy's 'on' switch. She bounded over to him, getting uncomfortably close. "No, no, no! Books are wonderful things! Everyone should do it! There are so many different types to choose from that even you could find something that you'd like! I have some horror novels or war stories if you'd like to borrow them!"

Gajeel looked at her as if she'd suddenly sprouted horns. He missed the shy Levy. This one was kind of scary!

"I don't think…"

"Oooh! I have some Stephen King! You'd love those!" She looked so goddamn happy. She looked…beautiful. At the thought, Gajeel responded by shoving her away. She fell over on to her back. She giggled and got back up clumsily.

"Shrimp? Yer not already drunk are ya?" He ventured cautiously.

"Of course I'm not!" She said angrily, redness spreading across her cheeks. "Don't change the subject! Why don't you read more? It's good for you and fun too!"

"I ain't a reader!" He protested angrily. "It's fer sissies!"

He watched with amazement as Levy took a big swig from her beer. Okay, she was definitely pushing south of inebriated now. Gajeel snickered. Her drunken expression was goddamn adorable. He smacked his head. Stop thinking those thoughts!

"No. Reading is for everyone. The world would be a better place if everyone read," she stated firmly.

"Gihihi! Now that, I agree with!" He laughed.

"Then you should!" She shouted.

Gajeel grumbled and stood. He briefly left, venturing into his bedroom. When he returned he carried a small, leather bound book. He tossed it to land just before Levy. She fucking squealed in delight, picking it up. It's just a book, he thought.

"It's the only one I have, so don't go looking for any more!" He sat, and noticed that Levy was completely away. He made a few noises. Clicked his fingers. Nope, she was gone. He sighed and drunk his beer, waiting for her to finish. It didn't take too long.

"That was great! Why did you have this though?" The book was a fairly cutesy short story about love and parenthood. Not something that seemed like Gajeel's taste.

Gajeel shrugged. "Metalicana said that it was mine."

Levy's eyes widened. Did he mean… "You mean that he found this with you when he adopted you?"

"Apparently. As I said before, I don't remember it at all. I was five at the time."

She held the book with a newfound reverence. If this was something that belonged to his parents, she felt like she'd just violated it. It should be taken care of, right? But then, Gajeel had just thrown it at her.

As if reading her thoughts, Gajeel spoke. "I ain't sentimental."

"Even so, there's a limit, right? I mean, not caring about this or that is fine, but this is from your childhood! The ONLY thing from your childhood! You should…" Gajeel snatched the book from her hands.

"Don't tell me what to do with my stuff," he growled. But still, he held it carefully. He returned it to the safety of his bedroom. He returned again, drinking from his beer to cover the moment.

"So what did you think of it?" It was Levy who asked the question.

"What?"

"The story. What did you think of it?" She repeated.

"I dunno. Parents love kid. Kid does something stupid, but parents still love them. Kinda boring, ain't it?" He waved a hand before him dismissively.

"N…no!" Levy shouted. "It's about how a parent's love is unconditional! No matter what we do or where we go, that love goes with us!"

"Shaddup," Gajeel growled quietly.

"You have to understand that!"

"Don't you dare talk about my parents!" He warned, as politely as he could. Which was not very.

"Gajeel! Your parents loved you! That's why they left you with…kyah!" Gajeel surged to his feet, grabbing Levy by the front of his shirt that she wearing. He held her high off of the ground, bringing his face close to hers. Levy almost wet herself – his face was furious, and those crimson eyes conveyed a lot of fury.

When he spoke, his voice was almost breathless. "I know yer trying to be nice. I know yer a little drunk. But don't ya fucking dare try to talk to me about my parents! I will fucking nail ya right back to that tree!"

Levy couldn't believe the response that she'd elicited from him. Gajeel didn't like to speak about that night, but here he was threatening to do it again! She was trembling violently from fright. Gajeel started as if rousing from a dream. His expression went to pure horror. He hurriedly set her back on her feet.

"Oh God, I'm so sorry!" He shouted. "I shouldn't have…I mean, I just don't want…I…."

_Dammit, dammit, dammit! Why am I so goddamn fucking clueless at expressing myself? Why the FUCK am I threatening this woman of all people?_

He turned, heading towards his bedroom door. "I'm sorry. I'll stay in here until ya've gone. I don't wanna scare ya."

Levy stood alone in the living room, now silent save for the occasional crackling of the fireplace and the drumming of the rain. She made her decision. She went over to the bedroom door and quietly opened it. Inside, Gajeel sat on the edge of his bed, head pressed into his hands. She went over to him and sat down next to him, throwing her arms around one of his enormous biceps. She didn't say anything, just hugged him, head resting on his shoulder as he sobbed.

"Why?" He asked at last, his voice cracking. "Why are ya so kind?"

"Mira says that all Fairy Tail mages bear a sad past. I'm sorry for prying into yours," she replied quietly.

"What? No…don't apologize…I'm the one who should…," his face screwed up again, and tears flowed faster. "Ya better not tell anyone about this!" He barked, trying to regain some machismo. Levy couldn't help but giggle at his comical tone. At length, she urged him back to the lounge, where the fire cast its warmth.

As she reached the table, Levy made a hiccup and swayed. The redness in her face was deeper now. Gajeel smiled. This might get a little funny now…

* * *

**Sorry for the delay and the short chapter. Having writer's block…**


	6. Drunken

"Shrimp, you okay?" Gajeel asked, humour creeping into his voice.

"Everything's a little…wobbly," she admitted.

"You're drunk!" Gajeel sang happily.

"No I'm not!" She pouted, redness over her cheeks. "I'm just a little wobbly is all." She sat, plopping down on the fireside rug a little hastily. Gajeel sat opposite her. Surely it would be wrong to use her inebriated state against her? Gajeel wasn't that sort of man.

"So Shrimp, any secrets ya wanna get off yer chest?"

Okay, maybe he was.

"Secrets?" Levy looked confused, as if trying to think. "Um…like what?"

Yes! Her defences were down. Time to dig. "Like, anyone at the guild told ya anything?"

"Well –hic- um, there was this thing with Droy. Once, he got his head stuck in a jar because he was trying to get the last cookie. I had to break him out and promise not to tell anyone. Even Jet never found out."

"Uh-huh," Gajeel said. He'd produced a pen and notepad from somewhere and was scribbling furiously. "Go on."

"Once, Erza found Natsu outside Fairy Hills, and she took all of his clothes and made him run home naked!" She giggled airily.

"Really, Salamander's a peeping tom?" Gajeel asked.

"No!" Levy looked secretive and talked in hush whispers. "That's the thing – Gray told him that he'd seen a small dragon in the bushes outside! Natsu fell for it, can you imagine!? Of course, I think both had been drinking…not that'd I'd know what that was like."

"Of course not," Gajeel smiled.

"Hey, you know how we bathe together at Fairy Hills?" Gajeel went bright red. Had he just hit the jackpot? "Bisca has this birthmark on her ass. Looks just like a cowboy hat! What are the odds? And on the side of Erza's left breast…"

"STOP!" Gajeel's face was beet red. He couldn't let her go on. Funny was one thing, but this was just abuse. Damn, he was getting to be such a softy, but this was wrong. Dammit. If he wanted to find out what was up with Erza's rack, he'd have to do the honourable thing and peep through her window.

"Oh? Did I say something wrong?" Levy looked hazy, wobbling side to side.

"It's okay…just maybe gossiping about other people is wrong."

"Okay, I'll tell you my embarrassing stuff then! Hic. Once, I bought six new books and they were so big and heavy, I couldn't see where I was going. So then –hic- there was this flight of stairs. Down I go, and every book lands on top of me. I was in hospital for two days!" She was grinning happily.

"Shrimp, ya can stop now…"

"And then there was the time I went on the –hic- train by myself, but I couldn't reach the overhead compartment and all the stuff fell on my head."

"Come on, ya can stop…"

"Or that time Shadow Gear took the mission to kill that octopus monster. The tentacles were everywhere!"

"Oh sweet merciful…please stop before I have a heart attack!"

"Oh –hic- sorry. Maybe I'm a liiiiittle tipsy. How many drinks have I had?"

Gajeel strained to see. "About half."

"Oh? Is that a lot?" Levy asked.

"No, not really," Gajeel admitted. "In fact, I'd say that yer a lightweight!"

"I'm not little!" She shouted angrily.

"N…no, I meant that…"

"Stand up!" She roared, getting to unsteady feet. "I'll show you how tall I am!"

Gajeel stood, smiling as he easily overtook the difference. To his surprise, Levy threw herself at him, clambering up his chest as he protested angrily. With her hands on his shoulders, she hoisted her head above his.

"Hah! Taller than you!" She smiled, and Gajeel couldn't help but notice how goddamn pink her adorable face had gone. And his face was now pressing into her small chest. He could feel 'little Gajeel' stand to attention.

"Kyah! What's that!?" Levy cried in surprise, kneeing him in the groin. He groaned in pain, falling to his knees. Levy lost her grip on him and tumbled backwards, rolling head over heels.

"My…my jewels…," he gasped. Shit had ceased to be funny for him. Levy looked around, seemingly unaware of events just prior. Okay, she was this far gone with half a mug of beer? Gajeel had underestimated just how bad with alcohol she was. It was if she'd never drunk before. Gajeel's brain kicked in. She'd never drunk before. She was female, asian and small. Oh crap, she was in the lowest percentile of alcohol tolerance.

And he'd given her proper beer.

"Okay," he huffed at last, getting feeling back other than crippling pain. He reached for her drink. "I think ya've had enough."

"No!" Levy dashed over and grabbed the mug before Gajeel could stop her. "I said that I'd finish it!"

Gajeel watched with horror as she downed the other half in one go. She made a lazy smile as she finished and then made an expression like she was going to vomit, both hands flying to cover her mouth, tankard dropping to the floor. A moment passed and she seemed to stabilize, but her face was really gone now, her expression lazy and indistinct.

Gajeel stood, aiming to pick her up. "I think ya need a little nap, so I'm just gonna put ya on the couch for a minute…"

"No!" Levy squealed and scuttled in between his legs to get away. He reached down to grab her, but missed and fell over headfirst to land on his ass. He frowned. Drunk Levy was like an unruly baby more than anything else. Oh crap, he was in a fucking Tom and Jerry sketch! He better sort this out before shit got outta hand…where had she gone?

He heard a noise from his bedroom and hurried in there. Levy was going through the trophies he'd mounted on his wall, takings from various quests. But she was bumbling clumsily, and he watched an ancient shield fall to the floor to shatter. Levy paid no mind.

"Okay, that is enough!" He grabbed her scruff and lifted her up. She thrashed and squirmed in his arms as he tried to get a good grip on her. She plopped to the floor.

Gajeel was still holding the t-shirt.

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! You pervert!" She shouted, covering her chest. Thankfully, she still had panties on, but Gajeel's nose was dripping blood. She looked so…tempting. So pink and soft and…._brain, pay attention to the problem!_

"N…No, no! It was an accident!"

"Solid Script: Fire!" Gajeel rolled on the ground frantically, dousing the fire. Worse than the pain was the fact that she'd incinerated the t-shirt he was wearing and the one he was holding. Damn, he loved that shirt, but more importantly, she was still naked and he had no clothes to immediate hand!

Thinking quickly, Gajeel grabbed the blanket from his bed and wrapped it around her, also using it to bind her arms to her side so she couldn't cast any more spells. She squeaked feeble protests as he wrapped his arms around her.

He giggled. She was like a caterpillar. The world's cutest caterpillar. He squeezed slightly, enjoying himself. Suddenly, Levy's expression changed – to one that Gajeel recognized well. He practically threw her before his toilet, and she began to vomit. Gajeel briefly left her to it to get another shirt for her. It was a hassle, but he finally managed to get her decent again.

Once he was sure that she had finished hurling, he picked her up, his left arm under her ass and his right hand pressing her back into him. She snuggled her head on his shoulder and promptly fell asleep. Gajeel's breath caught in his throat.

He'd just picked her up naturally, as if it was the most normal thing in the universe. He hadn't even thought about what he was doing – and here he was, holding a girl.

Not just any girl.

Shrimp.

The girl that he had once hurt.

Now peacefully sleeping in his arms.

It was a bizarre moment.

He chuckled gently. "World's gone a bit weird," he said to Levy's sleeping form. "I had no idea my life would ever have a moment like this!" He gently laid her on his bed and returned the blanket, drawing it over her narrow shoulders. She mumbled contentedly.

Gajeel went back into his living room. The rain still thundered down onto his roof. Probably wouldn't let up until morning anyway, so this was okay, he supposed. He waited for his dryer to finish, and then quietly took Levy's clothes to the bedroom so that she could use them when she woke up.

Then, in a display that he'd been listening, he took his washing and put them into the dryer.

Thanks, Shrimp.

He went to lie on the sofa. He'd spent many years sleeping on the hard ground. This was fine for one night.

"Been an interesting afternoon," he mumbled drowsily. "I wonder what the morning will bring."


	7. Hungover

Levy's eyes snapped open as the gentle morning sun and chirping birds HAMMERED INTO HER SKULL.

"Kyah!" She cried, immediately wishing that she hadn't. Hands clutched at her head. What the hell was this pain? Was she dying? It hurt so much! Panicking at the pain and the sudden realization that this was not her bedroom, Levy managed to fall off of the bed, dragging the blanket with her.

It didn't hurt except for the jarring of the pain in her head. She kicked with her legs, bound up in the blanket, but failed to shift it with her cognitive faculties impaired. She made a decision: to just curl up here and wait for the world to end. Yeah, that was fine.

"So, ya up, Shrimp?"

Levy curled up tighter at the inappropriately loud voice and heavy footsteps.

"Shush, I think my head is going to explode," she said very, very quietly.

"Gihihihi!" Gajeel laughed loudly. "That's called a hangover, Shrimp!"

"Kyah!" She repeated softly. "Quiet!" _Hangover? That was impossible, she never drank alcohol! _Hazel eyes fluttered open as the previous night came flooding back to her…well, the first half anyway. The remainder seemed to fade away until nothing remained.

"My mouth is dry," she said pathetically.

"Yeah, that happens…after a single beer! Pfffff…" He was trying not to break out laughing. "What a lightweight! C'mon, I think I still got some coffee somewhere."

"No, I don't drink coffee."

"Why?" There was a silence where Levy should have supplied an answer. Gajeel's eyebrows rose and further humour split his smile wider. "Cuz it's too strong for ya?"

"Shut up."

"What the fuck do ya drink if not alcohol or coffee?"

"Lots of things," Levy replied, still curled up tightly on the floor, eyes closed against the assault on her fragile senses. "Tea, hot chocolate, milkshakes, fruit juice, smoothies, soda…"

Gajeel frowned. "I ain't got any of that shit. Ya want a glass of water?"

"Please." Gajeel stomped away to return with a dirty glass of water. Levy chose to ignore his bad housekeeping and just accept the gift, drinking the cool liquid. In fact, for Gajeel, this was downright generous. Still… "Water's boring. Will you get me something nicer?"

"I just told ya…"

"Please?"

Gajeel growled and looked out of the window. At least the weather had appeared to clear up, leaving sunlight pouring down. Well, he was hungry himself. Fine. Fine!

"Fine! I'll go and get us some breakfast. There's a couple of fast food outlets around here and…"

"Sushi?"

"For breakfast?"

"You don't?"

"But the nearest place is half an hour away!"

"Please?"

"Stop that! Ya ain't cute!"

"Pwetty Pwease?" She asked, eyes turning into her ultimate puppy dog expression.

* * *

Gajeel looked around. He was in line at a sushi bar. How the fuck did he get here? The little midget must have cast some sorta spell on him! Those eyes were fucking weapons! He folded his arms, trying to ignore the redness in his face. Clearly, solid script was more versatile than he believed. Cough, cough, ahem.

He went and placed his order and blinked at the bill. He was used to eating crap – fried foods and the like. _Fine, fine_, he repeated internally. _ Just for the Shrimp. No, just for this one time, I'm not doing this for her! Don't be silly! I feel a little bad for getting her wasted, that's all! Nothing more! I certainly don't want to see that smile as I give her this food._

"Gah! I'm a worse liar than she is!" He shouted out loud. He flushed again as people in line stared at him. He snatched his food and left.

* * *

When he got back to his house, Levy was in his living room, having dressed back into her dry clothes. He felt oddly disappointed. She had been so cute in his t-shirt. But then again, she wasn't exactly _not cute_ now. He generally felt that Levy was a bit…fashion-challenged, but he liked her current dress, it suited her well.

He mentally smacked himself in the face.

Gajeel went to sit on his sofa and motioned for Levy to join him. He then placed the bag down on his living room table and took out two trays of sushi, putting one down in front of her. He tried not to pay attention to her smile or the one that followed it as he put a bottle of strawberry smoothie down.

"That is easily the girliest drink I've ever had to order," he grumbled.

"Thank you," she said with that sunny smile. Unable to help himself, he flicked her head and watched with amusement as her expression fell into abject pain.

"Now drink, it's the best cure for a hangover."

"I've had a lot of water while you were gone," she agreed.

"Oi, that's my water!"

"Gajeel, water is free!"

"I have a water bill, Shrimp!" He said loudly, glaring.

"Oh, hehe! Sorry, it's just lumped into my rent so I never think about it!"

"Psh, forget about it."

"A couple of glasses of water? You're so generous!"

"So ya don't want this sushi then?"

"…I'll be good."

"So…I hope that spending the night at my place wasn't the worst time ya've ever had," Gajeel said with a smirk as they began to eat.

"Who knew you were such a kind-hearted man?" Levy asked with hooded eyes. Gajeel practically spat his food out.

"Hey! I've got a reputation to maintain! Ya can't be telling anyone about this!"

"What? About how you pulled me out of the rain? Gave me a place to warm up and dry clothes? How you went and very nicely brought me breakfast-kyah!" Her little triumph was cut off by another head flick. She pouted. "I don't care how many layers you put up to hide it, somewhere under there you're a good man!"

"Fuck off," Gajeel said dismissively.

"A LOT of layers," Levy said with a giggle as Gajeel's cheeks gained the faintest tint of crimson. They ate their breakfast in silence after that. At last, they were finished and Levy got ready to leave. She opened the front door and sunlight streamed through, bathing her in golden light.

"So different to last night," she commented. "You really saved me then."

"Yeah well, I owe ya one," Gajeel said with a shrug.

Levy practically skipped down his path, all happiness and sunshine again. Good, Gajeel thought. She was much better like this than all depressed. She was…his mind managed to switch 'beautiful' to 'adorable' at the last moment. He'd accept that word, since she was basically a little puppy.

"Gajeel, I'll keep you to that promise!" She called.

"Huh?" Wait, what had he promised?

"If I wanna prove my strength, you'll fight me!"

Gajeel grinned, flexing his guns. "Any time, Shrimp. I'll take anything ya've got!"

* * *

Levy was halfway to her dorm when a person dashed up to her at high speed and she was lifted from the ground in a hug.

"Levy! We were so worried!"

"Jet?" She said, confused. "What happened?"

"Erza said that you didn't come back to the dorms last night! We were so scared for you! We looked all over Magnolia!"

"Ah! The whole guild was looking for me?" Levy asked nervously. That was bad!

"N…no…just me and Droy. Erza said something like you're a grown-up who can look after herself…" Jet began to go red as if he realized that he was admitting that he thought that Levy did indeed need protection.

Levy couldn't help but giggle, for he was kind of right. She had needed a bit of help last night, but she had no idea from where that help would come! And she couldn't be too mad at Jet…after all; they hadn't been safe one particular night in the past. Which made last night all the more confusing.

"Um…can you put me down now?" Levy asked, smiling.

"No! I'm not putting you down until you're back at the dorms," he replied walking towards Fairy Hills. He ignored the writhing, squirming woman in his arms who was cursing the entire world for thinking that she was luggage to be carried! Why was everyone else so tall!?

Then again, she thought calming down; she had a hazy memory of being in Gajeel's arms last night. And although she couldn't picture it properly, there was the memory of being warm and safe and happy. She blushed slightly, for she hoped to have the chance to be in them again.

* * *

**Sorry if that's a bit crap, but I wanted to wrap this story up so I can focus on my other stories. I plan to do another short story in the same 'setting' as this one, so look out for that!**


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